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Breathing Training to Improve Human Performance at High Altitude

NCT03530163 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 28

Last updated 2022-04-19

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Individuals traveling to altitudes above 8,000 feet may suffer from impaired exercise and cognitive performance, and acute mountain sickness (AMS). Decreased barometric pressure, which leads to low blood oxygen levels, is the primary cause of these disorders. Symptoms of AMS are characterized by headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping. The goal of this research is to identify whether Respiratory Muscle Training will improve physical and cognitive performance, and reduce the symptoms of AMS, at simulated high altitude.

Conditions

  • Mountain Sickness Acute

Interventions

DEVICE

Respiratory Muscle Training

Subjects will breathe through a custom isocapnic Respiratory Muscle Training method developed in-house. The initial breathing frequency will be 30 breaths per minute. Subsequent sessions will begin with 20 minutes of breathing at the highest rate attained on the previous training day. During the last 10 minutes of each session, breathing rate will increase by 1-2 breaths/min.

DEVICE

Sham Breathing Training

Each subject in the sham group will be prompted to hold his breath for 10 seconds every 30 seconds (two times each minute) while breathing on a circuit visibly identical to that used in Respiratory Muscle Training. The subject will breathe ambient air normally after each breath hold. Each sham session will last 30 minutes total.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • United States Department of Defense

    collaborator FED

  • University of Colorado, Denver

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Robert Roach, PhD · Director, Altitude Research Center

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
45 Years
Sex
MALE
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2018-08-09
Primary Completion
2020-01-15
Completion
2020-01-15

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03530163 on ClinicalTrials.gov